Recommendations for Vaccination Against Seasonal Influenza in Adult High Risk Groups: South Asian Recommendations.

Influenza is a global public health problem and concern especially in high risk people. Prevention plays a key role in avoiding complications of influenza related illnesses. Despite the existing prevalence of influenza, and documented importance of vaccination, the uptake of influenza vaccine is very poor.

Breast cancer and human papillomavirus infection: no evidence of HPV etiology of breast cancer in Indian women.

Background: Two clinically relevant high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) types 16 and 18 are etiologically associated with the development of cervical carcinoma and are also reported to be present in many other carcinomas in extra-genital organ sites. Presence of HPV has been reported in breast carcinoma which is the second most common cancer in India and is showing a fast rising trend in urban population. The two early genes E6 and E7 of HPV type 16 have been shown to immortalize breast epithelial cells in vitro, but the role of HPV infection in breast carcinogenesis is highly controversial.

Study of pulmonary functions in tea industry workers in North Bengal.

This study was intended to compare pulmonary function parameters in tea garden factory workers who are on chronic exposure to tea dust with tea garden plantation workers on the basis of dynamic ventilatory pulmonary function tests. The pulmonary function tests done on 128 subjects included 64 tea garden factory workers and 64 tea garden plantation workers. In tea factory workers the values of vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced expiratory volume in first 0.

Sex-trafficking, violence, negotiating skill, and HIV infection in brothel-based sex workers of eastern India, adjoining Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among brothel-based sex workers of West Bengal, eastern India, to understand sex-trafficking, violence, negotiating skills, and HIV infection in them. In total, 580 sex workers from brothels of four districts participated in the study. A pretested questionnaire was introduced to study their sociodemography, sex-trafficking, violence, and negotiating skills.

Current trends of opportunistic infections among HIV-seropositive patients from Eastern India.

In this report we describe the clinical and laboratory profiles of different opportunistic infections (OIs) among 125 immunocompromised patients admitted to a referral hospital in the eastern part of India. Different pathogens were isolated, identified and characterized using the laboratory gold standard methods. Oral candidiasis (88%) was found to be the most common OI, followed by tuberculosis (57%), enteropathogenic Vibrio (47%), cytomegalovirus infection (45%), cryptosporidial diarrhea (43%), Escherichia coli infection (42%) and other infections among the study subjects.

HIV infection among transport workers operating through Siliguri-Guwahati national highway, India.

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2004 to understand the problem of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among long-distance transport workers operating through the Siliguri-Guwahati national highway. The study included 301 transport workers who were contacted at different transport workers' stops on the Siliguri-Guwahati national highway. Informed consent was obtained.

Epidemic of HIV coupled with hepatitis C virus among injecting drug users of Himalayan West Bengal, Eastern India, Bordering Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

A study was conducted in June 2004 to find out the epidemiology of HIV infection among injecting drug users (IDUs) of Darjeeling District of West Bengal, eastern India. The district headquarter, Darjeeling town, also known as "Queen of Hills," is a beautiful spot situated in Himalayan West Bengal that attracts a large number of tourists each year from all over the world. Another unique feature of the district is that it has international boundaries with three countries, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

Young age is a risk factor for HIV among female sex workers--an experience from India.

Objective: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among brothel-based sex workers of West Bengal, eastern India, to study the prevalence of HIV and associated risk factors.

Methods: Unlinked anonymous HIV testing was performed on 2076 sex workers. Of these, 558 were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire to study their risk factors.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in two tribal populations of the sub-Himalayan region of India: ethnic and rural-urban differences.

This study was undertaken to estimate prevalence of metabolic syndrome in traditional societies in the sub-Himalayan region and to assess the impact of modernization on the risk to the syndrome. Two tribal populations--Toto and Bhutia--with a shared ancestry and habitat were selected. Some Bhutians have adopted a modern lifestyle.

Evaluation of sexually transmitted diseases/human immunodeficiency virus intervention programs for sex workers in Calcutta, India.

Background And Objective: The Sonagachi Project in Calcutta, India, organized sex workers to improve working conditions.

Goal: To compare rates of sexually transmitted diseases between the Sonagachi Project and other areas in which only the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) interventions were implemented.

Study: A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected female sex workers.